Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Chase

With a powerful push from his legs, Huang Jiafei grabbed hold of the window ledge. Turning back, he waved his hand in farewell, a smug smile still on his face.

“See you around, brother,” Huang Jiafei called out, and with that, he sprang out through the window. The doctor wasted no time either—flipping himself upright, he broke into a run.

Comrade Xiao Deng, still sprawled on the ground, seemed thoroughly dazed by the blow he’d taken. Only after the doctor had dashed off did he manage to roll over.

“Don’t run! Stop right there!” Xiao Deng shouted, but of course, the doctor paid no heed—he was running so fast, even a rabbit would have to call him grandfather. Seeing the coast was clear, Xiao Deng finally got to his feet.

“Captain, I’ve followed your orders. Huang Jiafei has been released. Looks like those two really have nothing to do with each other,” Xiao Deng reported.

Just then, the red alarm lights in the corridor began to flash incessantly. The loudspeakers blared to life: “Level One alert! All departments, attention! All departments, attention! Two suspects have escaped from Detention Room Three. All relevant agents, proceed to handle the situation. Level One alert! All departments, attention! Two suspects have escaped from Detention Room Three. All relevant agents, proceed at once!”

Meanwhile, the doctor, panicked and terrified, darted around frantically. He reached a large door bearing an animal motif; suddenly, the eyes of the animal glowed and shot out lasers. Spinning around, he saw the same thing happening on the design above the door behind him. Luckily, the lasers were slow, and as one door was about to close, he slipped through just in time.

He turned left, only to spot someone coming his way. Instantly, he bolted in the opposite direction. He had no idea how long he ran or where he ended up. Spotting a door, he dove inside. The room was in utter disarray, with a wall of monitors at its center.

One of the central screens displayed a warning: “Disciplinary violation detected. Suspect has escaped. Immediate action required.” Another monitor showed his own photo, fingerprint data, and more. Seeing this, the doctor was utterly stunned.

Yet he failed to notice something crucial: from the moment he entered, he hadn’t seen a single soul. How could a surveillance room be completely deserted? As he peered intently at the screens, he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching him intently. The atmosphere was eerie. He turned around cautiously, at first seeing nothing—but then, suddenly, a figure appeared before him, hanging upside down. Looking up, he was startled to see a pair of huge wings unfurling.

The sight terrified him out of his wits.

“Ghost!” the doctor cried, and in a flash, he bolted from the room. As he ran, he could hear voices in different corners shouting, searching for him. After turning yet another corner, exhausted and unable to run any farther, he found another door—without hesitation, he rushed in and slammed it shut behind him. Almost at once, people began searching the corridor outside; terrified, he barely dared to breathe. Wave after wave of searchers passed by the door.

Only when everything outside fell silent did he finally relax and slump into a chair, taking in his surroundings. The lights were off, making it hard to see anything clearly. Just then, a projector switched on automatically. As the doctor leaned back, hoping for a moment’s respite, anxiety seized him once more. A film began to play—a propaganda reel.

It opened with the words: “A sacred mission, a pursuit without regret.”

The film then launched into a history, describing the emergence of various intelligent beings—monsters, demons, and spirits. It spoke of the conflicts that arose, and then chronicled the founding of the Investigation Center and Supermarket 444, recounting their achievements and milestones in a tone of unadulterated propaganda. The doctor, for his part, found himself watching with rapt attention.